Health Nugget of the Week
November 23, 2011Turn Dry Skin Soft & Cracked Lips Kissable!
With the cold weather of winter comes dry skin and cracked lips. We can go through bottles of lotions and tubes of lip balms and still have no relief. If this sounds like you take a minute and review the following 3 tips:
#1 – Get Hydrated! Typically with the cold weather we don’t drink as much water. This can be compounded by the typical increase our intake of flavoured coffees and holiday spirits which both act as diuretics – depleting our bodies of even more water. Try to ensure you are sticking to that 2-2.5 liters of water a day – you can get it through herbal teas if you prefer warmer drinks, or my favorite: hot water with lemon slices!
#2 – Oil Up! Increasing your intake of Omega 3 essential fatty acids in the form of fish oils will dramatically help moisturize the skin from the inside out. This is especially important if you suffer from seasonal eczema / psoriasis. I usually recommend a dose of 4000-6000mg a day (usually 4-6 capsules).
#3 – Don’t Be Fooled – Choose Real Natural Cosmetics! Take a good look at the ingredients on those lotions and lip balms you are using. Many of them (including some “natural” ones) contain irritating and drying alcohols (parabens: methy-, ethyl-, propyl-) which are used as preserving agents. The problem is as you apply it to hydrate your skin/lips the alcohols evaporate causing a rebound drying effect and you will have to apply more and more lotion – each time drying the skin out a little more. It’s a never ending battle! Not to mention many lotions contain perfumes or artificial ingredients that irritate the skin. Use all natural lotions and lip balms without any alcohols / perfumes for the best results. If you want to check out how your lotion / lip balms rate you can search for them in the Skin Deep database located on the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics website. My favorite lotions / lip balms come from Burt’s Bees, Live Clean, Alba, and North American Hemp Company. Or get creative and make your own! It’s easy to make your own lip balm and intensive hand/foot salve. All you need are some oils (herbal infused or otherwise) and some good quality beeswax!
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